Making the Leap of Faith that Your Students are
Information Literate: Information Literacy
Standards for Communication Studies
National Communication Association
2007 Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, November 15, 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Palmer House / Salon 6
Sponsored by the Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide

Information Literacy Standards for
Communication Studies: Journalism
Presented by:
 Natasha Cooper, Syracuse University Library
 Missy Murphey, University of Mississippi Libraries
 Cathy Michael, Ithaca College Library
On behalf of the Communication Studies Committee, Education and Behavioral Sciences
Section, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association

 Introduction (Cathy): Information Literacy Standards: what ALA and our Committee are doing, why we’re doing it, and how you can help
 Examination of the general standards compared to subject specific ones (Missy)
 Question & Answers (Tasha)

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Not all students are provided information literacy instruction either by professors or librarians
Some professors presume that since students are computer literate they are information literate
Professors that have faith their students are information literate will likely have papers that cite dubious information readily retrieved on the web
Communication Studies Committee members have collaborated with faculty in information literacy education by conducting in class sessions and providing point-of –need research consultations
This presentation consists of an effort by librarians to collaborate with faculty so that they can move from faith to practice through the utilization of standards

Information literacy is a skill addressed by national accrediting bodies in their standards:
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Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities
North Central Association of Colleges & Schools
New England Association of Schools & Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges & Schools
Commission on Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Association of College and Research Libraries
(ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education ~ Master Standards
 Approved by ACRL in 2000
 Endorsed by the American Association for Higher
Education & the Council of Independent Colleges
 Available at: www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.cfm

 NCA K-12 Standards of Communication
 AEJMC Code of Ethics
 ACEJMC Accrediting Standards
 Poynter Institute
 Knight Foundation
 Society for Professional Journalists

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Standard One: Know
Standard Two: Access
Standard Three: Evaluate
Standard Four: Use
Standard Five: Ethical/Legal
Each major standard has between 3 to 7 performance indicators, or goals. For each goal there are between 2 to 6 objectives
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I.
The standards are arranged:
Standard
1. Performance Indicator a. Objective 1 b. Objective 2 c. Objective 3

 Assess information literacy:
Compare what is actually being done to a best practice
 Outline the research process:
Students and practitioners have a step-by-step method for reaching their goal: to file or submit a news story
 Individual standards can be emphasized depending upon the situation:
For instance, a class on Critical Thinking skills might emphasize Standard Three on evaluation

Development of Subject-Specific Standards
 The Communication Studies Committee decided to start with the field of journalism but plans to move to other fields: Advertising, Film,
Intercultural Communications, etc.
 In addition to the ACRL standards, other disciplines have drafted subject-specific standards: Anthropology & Sociology, English,
Political Science

Development of Journalism Standards
 The Committee collaborated using a wiki, via email and through instant messaging
 Faculty were invited to the Committee’s mid-Winter meeting in Seattle, Washington in January 2007 and discussed putting information literacy into practice
 A liaison from ACRL will assist the Committee in obtaining approval of the document
 We seek input from professional and educational organizations as we edit the document into something that can be utilized

Faculty Input: Kathy Campbell
Winter 2007
CRN 22558
MW 1 to 1:5 0 p.m. Allen Hall 221
Professor Kathy Campbell
Info you wil l learn:
This course introduces you to ways of making sense of the vast quantities of information that bombard us every day. Your challenge is to learn how to take this abstract concept called "information" and transform it into knowledge—knowledge that is applicable to the rapidly changing political, economic, social and professional environments in which we live.
Among other things, the course will teach you how to:
• plan and use search strategies for information on a public policy topic.
• use library resources, especially reference materials and government documents.
• gain access to useful government and corporate information.
• distinguish among online sources and to evaluate them.
• analyze and evaluate evidence.
• plan and conduct personal interviews.
• identify and analyze conflicting points of view among expert source s.
• organize evidence into a reasoned, credible argument on an important public policy question.
• use online course ma terials and information to guide and assess your work.
• organize your research, your time, and your life to meet critical deadlines.

 Considers unique professional practices, methods, and jargon
 Clarifies the the language of the original by taking a plain language approach
 Useful to practitioners and students
 Includes questions to consider, examples and annotations unique to the field

• Standards
• Performance Indicators
• Outcomes
• Objectives

Main concepts the student should master
 Standard 1-Know
 Standard 2-Access
 Standard 3-Evaluate
 Standard 4-Use
 Standard 5-Ethics

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The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

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E.g.: Standard 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.
The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-designed search strategies.
The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.
The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.
The information literate student extracts, records, and manages the information and its sources.

Indicator 4: The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.
A. Assesses the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results to determine whether alternative information retrieval systems or investigative methods should be utilized
B. Identifies gaps in the information retrieved and determines if the search strategy should be revised
C. Repeats the search using the revised strategy as necessary

Found in the companion piece to the standards,
Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction
 They break down outcomes into discrete, measurable results
 Written only for outcomes that could be addressed by librarian or librarian/faculty
 Not included in the IL Standards for
Journalism document, but can easily be referred to for assignment ideas or use in a grading rubric

Outcomes for Undergraduate English or American Literature Majors
I.
Understand the structure of information within the field of literary research:
I.1 Differentiate between primary and secondary sources
I.1.i. Learn to discover and use primary source materials in print and in digital repositories, e.g.,
ECCO and EEBO
I.2 Understand that literary scholarship is produced and disseminated in a variety of formats, including monographs, journal articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, reference sources, and Web sites
I.3 Learn the significant features (e.g., series title, volume number, imprint) of different kinds of documents (e.g., journal articles, monographs, essays from edited collections)
I.4 Differentiate between reviews of literary works and literary criticism
I.5 Understand the concept and significance of peer-reviewed sources of information
I.6 Understand that literary texts exist in a variety of editions, some of which are more authoritative or useful than others
I.7 Understand the authorship, production, dissemination, or availability of literary production. This includes understanding the meanings and distinctions of the concepts of editions, facsimiles, and authoritative editions

 Keep/lose the IL-speak (objective or example;
“Performance Indicator” or “What the student needs to do”)?
 Five standards? Four? Seven?
 Add Faculty/Librarian (F, L) indicator?
 Insert/delete special terms/jargon?
 Focus more on career options? Research outside the library?
All this and more is totally flexible…now it’s your turn…

 Who is familiar with the ACRL Information
Literacy Competency standards?
 Reactions, comments regarding these standards?
Thank you to Lynne Flocke and Barbara Fought, S. I. Newhouse School of Public
Communications, Syracuse University

 What benefits do you see in incorporating library use/research/information literacy into student assignments/your curriculum?
 In what ways would you like to see your students improve as researchers?
 Do you currently work with library resources/librarians, to ensure that graduates of your courses/programs are able to find resources/conduct research effectively? If so, how do you collaborate?

 Would a set of standards such as those for journalism, or the other subject areas we mentioned, be useful to you?
 What would make them more useful?
 What level of specificity is most useful?

 What approaches do you have for addressing ethics, in terms of reporting, privacy, etc., but also in regarding to source use, copyright, plagiarism, etc.?

Do you think in terms of outcomes, and if so, what outcomes would you think of for the following information literacy standards?
Standard One - The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
A.
B.
C.

Standard Two - The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently .
A.
B.
C.
Standard Three - The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
A.
B.
C.

Standard Four - The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
A.
B.
C.
Standard Five - The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
A.
B.
C.

 What NCA educational initiatives have something in common with information literacy initiatives?
 Are there ways in which these initiatives and library professional association standards work could be complementary?
 What would be the process for gaining endorsement of standards from the NCA?

Additional questions or observations?
Additional comments may be sent to :
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Tasha Cooper, nacoop01@syr.edu
Missy Murphey, ulrmm@olemiss.edu
Cathy Michael, cmichael@ithaca.edu
Thank you!